While the thought of landing a future superstar like Seth Jones or Nathan MacKinnon at this summer’s NHL Entry Draft may be one of the few things keeping Avalanche fans going these days, Colorado forward Matt Duchene isn’t ready to tank what’s left of the season.

“A top pick would be great, but I think a positive feeling going into the summer from a great finish would be even better for us,” said Duchene, per the Denver Post. “I owe it to every guy in this room and to every person who buys a ticket, who pays good money to come see us and cheer us on, to try to do my best.

“People are playing for future jobs and contracts, and these last 12 games may be meaningless for the playoffs, but for each one of us in here they all mean something. We need to help each other. That’s how we have to finish here.”

Duchene seriously speaks like a veteran to the media. I’ve really grown to like this kid because of his composure. He wants to stay in Colorado and build this team. There is a very good core of youth there, they just need to bring in a couple of veterans on D and at center to staple the team down more. I remember back when they considered him to be another young punk looking for money. Now he’s trying to carry the team with him and shows signs of positive leadership. He’s on the ice performing night in and night out, no matter what the score is.

Sucks they’re the worst in the league this year, but we will see what next year has in store for them. GIVE THEM SOME SMARTER DEFENSEMEN IN FRONT OF VARLARMOV TOO!

19to77 - Apr 5, 2013 at 2:48 PM

I don’t know what happened to Duchene in the offseason, but he’s a different player this year. He’s dramatically more consistent, doesn’t take shifts or games off anymore and like lsxphotog said, he speaks to the media with maturity beyond his years.

Dunno what happened in Switzerland (I think he was playing there, right?), but it’s been nothing but good for him.